ornamental hermit

English

Etymology

From ornamental +‎ hermit

Noun

ornamental hermit (plural ornamental hermits)

  1. A person hired to live in a specially built, rustic hermitage on an estate; hired in the 18th and early 19th centuries by wealthy landowners with strict conditions often requiring them to live in solitude, not groom themselves, and dress in a wild, often druidic, fashion; regularly cared for, consulted for advice, or viewed for entertainment.
    Synonym: garden hermit

Further reading

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